Saturday, January 14, 2012







Thus, I must ask: Are matters really this dire?

From the peanut gallery:

AJ JANUARY 10, 2012 AT 3:14 PM


Jess JANUARY 10, 2012 AT 8:05 PM




AJ JANUARY 13, 2012 AT 11:26 AM




Vertigo Schtick JANUARY 14, 2012 AT 7:16 AM


YeahRight 2011 JANUARY 13, 2012 AT 2:34 AM


Tiff JANUARY 12, 2012 AT 8:33 PM



AI JANUARY 14, 2012 AT 8:21 AM





Anonymous said...

I realize its a kneejerk opinion, but as the child of a black man and a white woman I always find this line of argumentation irritating. I can understand the idea that are not enough depictions of functional relationships between black people in tv and film, but then the assumption seems to be there is something truly sinister about depicting a white woman and a black man. I'm tired of hearing that my parents are conspirators against black womanhood. Ironically, I'm reminded of nothing so much as the difficulty my mother's mother had in accepting that her daughter had a child with a black man. This just seems like a stale reflection of white supremacist 'race traitor' ideology, that merely be sexually interacting with people of other races you are showing disloyalty. Again, I want to say that I understand the frustration, but I think the reaction is inappropriate.

chaunceydevega said...

@Anon. The personal remains the political as the old saying goes, no?

NotAshamed said...

When the typical war movie with white male cast members decides to portray them loving Black women and other non-white women to the exclusion of white women, then Black women should shut up.

But since 99% of these movies ALWAYS have White male/white female relations as the primary romantic subline, and 99% of major war movies with Black male cast members have them with non-Black woman, Black women should not shut up. Particularly when in protest to what is historically inaccurate.

I seriously doubt you'll ever see a movie about George Washington showing him with the Black women he had relations with, whose Black descendants of his relationships have been trying to be recognized for centuries.

As for the commenter who mentioned their "irritation" with hearing Black women point out the obvious racism among White Hollywood and to some degree Black men, you might as well get used to it because you will hear more of it.

We do not believe that there is anything "sinister" about interracial relationships, other than the fact that the idea of white supremacy/non-Black woman supremacy is being lorded over Black women on a daily basis. Interracial relations and multiracial societies are a beautiful thing, when it's not being used as a way to completely degrade one group for no other reason than being hated for being Black.

Many Black women are standing up to the racist, divisive tactics being waged against us, and if that irritates you, so be it. So much for your spoiled privilege.

Things ARE that bad - if you didn't know that then you've been living under a rock, or are willfully ignoring the trends. Black women should boycott this movie, but its doubtful that they will.

Once again, Hollywood, gets the chance to put out a movie that tells the world (and it WILL be in worldwide distribution) that Black men value anyone and everyone other than Black women - which is not true, but always is presented as such.

Anonymous said...

@Notashamed: when did I say I was irritated with Black women speaking against Hollywood racism, lol? Or do you think that "Why must the IR thing be shoved down our throats" is a particularly powerful, assertive example of anti-racist thinking? You may not express contempt for interracial relationships, but some of the comments featured in the post really seem to hint at it. ("We do not believe that there is anything "sinister" about interracial relationships..." Who is this 'we'? Hopefully not you and the person who doesn't want "the IR thing" lodged in their, erm, throats.)

As for "standing up to the racist, divisive tactics"...I don't know about racist, but it certainly seems divisive to turn incredibly legitimate frustration about the marginalization and degradation of Black women in film. I completely agree with the people quoted that it's complete bullshit that Black women are usually ignored in films generally and are seldom shown in healthy relationships with Black men. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't understand how this is actually being caused by some interracial agenda being "shoved down our throats".

Anonymous said...

dammit, i screwed up that post. the first sentence in the second paragraph should end with 'into frustration with depictions of interracial relationships'. sorry, i should have proofread better! my fault entirely, sorry. i know this makes it harder to read

Oh Crap said...



How is anyone going to boycott a film they haven't even seen, wtf?

Reminds me of my parents boycotting Last Temptation of Christ" in 88-89, wtf.

Bandwagonism, wtf, ppl.

Shady_Grady said...

I look forward to seeing this movie. Hopefully it's quality. If that BM/WF relationship is the only one shown/alluded to or is shown to be better than BM/BF relationships then perhaps some people might have a point?


It's just some typical bitterness from people who can't find happiness in their own life. It's also MASSIVELY hypocritical. I have NEVER seen Black women get up in arms about Black actresses in real life or in film who are love interests of white men. That's ok. =)

Show a black man with ANYONE other than a black woman with suitably dark skin and stereotypical "West African" features and there will be some loud women lining up to pitch a fit.

I don't think this is anything peculiar to black women; it's just human nature. But it's still bs.

Oh Crap said...


Lol whatever.

Colorstruck jealousy and rage knows no gender, nor sexual orientation, believe me.

Anonymous said...

And thus the problem in the Black community as we continue to join with whites who change our history, eliminate or degrade Black women, and are pushing an agenda. Very sad.

The Herman Cainin-ing/Tiger Wood-ing of Black men of America is complete. The hateful responses against Black women among in this thread is very telling and indicative of the societal problem Black women have been suffering through in the Black community. Keep sidelining your own daughters for the elevation of white women and non-Black women over your own in the Black community. Great job.

The Black man has truly joined the white man as the devil.

Oh Crap said...

@Anon, 11:00


Oh come on, there is no such thing as the devil.

Just because a couple confused, angry cranks in WARN comments have a gender anxiety problem every time they hear the words "black women" that does not mean every Black man does.

Abstentus said...

I have already given my background, so the long timers know all that crap already.

I like the company of women more than men.

I like the company of sane women over crazy women.

I like the company of sane, medically healthy women better than not.

I like company of sane, medically healthy women with hair, more than those with out hair.

And they don't have to have a interest in Quantum Mechanics, or at least have working understanding of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. But that would count as extra points for me.

Hell. They don't even have to be straight. It's been years since I played rate a date with a lesbian drinking buddy. (Then again I am not a lounge lizard these days.)

So what I am saying is, race is not really part of the decision tree for me. I don't get that crap. Then again I am Cape Verdian; the Tribe that calls itself mixed. We know there are neuroses from and within the blood both the European and African contintents. (Never mind our Chinese ancestors. That would just confuse the issue here.)

What really matters is (as that old SNL character, Fernando, used to say,) whether one looks mavahellous. Ok. I like pretty more than not so pretty. So sue me!

fred c said...

I'm a fan of wonderful women myself. I've met a lot of wonderful women, let's see, I've never met an Eskimo woman, never met an Australian Aborigine woman . . . yes, I've known wonderful women of all of the other types known to man.

Not in the Biblical way, of course, I'm no honey-bee who must handle all the flowers personally.

Black American women are 100% okay with me, visually, emotionally and intellectually, and I'm not talking just about the Haley Berry's of the world. I understand their sensitivity though. They take a huge amount of disrespect, to their faces, and it's no surprise that it galls them.

There may be an over-reaction about "Red Tails" on the part of Black women, but after all, any over-reaction is merely a peccadillo in the scheme of things. We should be listening closely to what they have to say and trying in any way possible to make their burden lighter. Not much more to it than that.

I'll be seeing "Red Tails" as soon as possible myself. It's right up my alley for one thing, and those guys are heroes of mine too, for their tremendous accomplishments both in the air and in life.

Anonymous said...

Ahh, white hollywood knows the power of IMAGE. Which means they know the power of pushing white women as the ultimate catch for black men, especially successful, intelligent heroic Black men. They know the power of sending that imagery around the world, so that Black men will gain more respect in the U.S. and internationally, and Black women will be degraded in the U.S. and internationally.

To finally make a big budget movie about Black war heroes, the Red Tails, but then throw in an imaginary white woman to diss all the Black women who, while SUFFERING through the Jim Crow times that they lived in, but made sure to still love and support their husbands away at war, and raise their families, is nothing less than an utter INSULT to Black women.

And really should be a slap in the face to Black men as well - that the idea that Black men - who were kept out of the Airforce and relegated to only military food service positions for so long, who had to conform to Jim Crow laws in their own country while going to Europe to fight for the freedom of white europeans, who upon their return from war were mistreated and STILL had to live under the racist and segregationist system of the U.S. - would then prefer that their Black girlfriend, wives and families be subjugated to the image of white woman, front-and-center, when finally honored on film is sad, and even terrifying if true.

This is what you're asking Black people to support? Please. With African countries being bombed by NATO recently, and American troops already on the soil in Central Africa, is this movie preparing Black men mentally to go to war in Africa, and kill Black African women and their daughters with impunity because, yet again, Hollywood war propaganda is being put in place to devalue the lives and emotions of Black women?

If the women Black men always choose are non-Black, that says they have love for others and not for us. And that spells danger for us - here and abroad as Black soldiers head overseas. Turn a blind eye to Black women, and save all your caring for white ones? This is what Hollywood is all about, and it seems as if Blacks in the media would get this.

Also, every time any movie is made with a majority Black cast, Black people are given the old scare tactic of "you MUST see it or Black movies will never, ever, ever, EVER be made in Hollywood again. Well, many movies with all or majority Black casts have been made in Hollywood, in the past and up to now. The scare tactic is to get us in the theatres to absorb the harmful propaganda.

And being that Red Tails is a movie about soldiers who went to fight Hitler, maybe Black people should start thinking about the power of propaganda - everyone knows that Hitler used propaganda (in film, images, and news) to have many millions of people slaughtered.

Anonymous said...

"Noncooperation with Evil is as Much a Moral Obligation as Cooperation with Good" Martin Luther King, Jr.

dchozen1 said...

I only hope to settle the many opinions and assumptions on this blog-site concerning the exec producer's(Lucas) mindset of using a IR relationship in the film Red Tails. From the horses mouth:(Lucas interview on The Daily Show w/Jon Stewart- Lucas words in quotations)
“It’s a reasonably expensive movie. Normally black movies, say Tyler Perry movies or something, they’re very low budget,” the film’s producer, Lucas, told Stewart on the show. “Even they won’t really release his movies, it goes to one of the lower, not major distributors…And this costs more than what those movies make.
“They don’t believe there’s any foreign market for it and that’s 60 percent of their profit…I showed it to all of them and they said ‘No. We don’t know how to market a movie like this,’” Lucas added.
In Hollywood, it seems to Lucas, there must be at least some White element to films in order for them to be seen as lucrative. “It’s an all-black movie. There’s no major white roles in it at all. It’s one of the first, all-black action pictures ever made. It’s not Glory where you have a lot of white officers running these guys into cannon fire. They were real heroes.”
It's you the viewer that needs to decide the line you won't cross when it comes to viewing a piece of history told on a blockbuster box office level, or a local theater independent film level. Though over 1200 irreplaceable souls were foolishly lost in real life on the Titanic, Hollywood was betting on you remembering the fiction of Jack and Rose for thought. Red Tail film comments from Lucas posted by Seandra Sims @ I hope this helped. Sorry if I violated any policy on quotes or source listing.

Patty said...

Big slap in the face to Michelle Obama too, the first ever Black First Lady.

One of her main campaigns has been supporting military families and soldiers in every way.

ANd Aaron McGruder and the other two BLACK MALE directors on this movie chose to leave out Black women, which could have taught young kids and teens just how much support Black women have given to gave Black men in the military, and others Americans in general.

Michelle Obama should tell them all to shove it, and kiss her beautiful Black a*ss. F*ck these people, seriously. You can do nothing right for them - Black men like McGruder and co, or white racists women and men.

40 said...

In an era of "Love & Hip-Hop", "Basketball Wives", "The Game", and a host of other shows that use the term "wife" and discuss "relationships" where none of the women are married, in love, or in a relationship, and are only getting over on being affiliated with a dude they out hussied the hussies for, and women want to complain about "Red Tails"? Truly laughable indeed. But then again its easier to sling rocks at George Lucas, than it is at Shaunie O'Neal because "she's just trying to get her money". Trust me one man finding love in the "enemies arms" in a scripted movie is a lot less damaging then the state of relationships being broadcasted nightly. But I guess if you've got your oversized European designer bag and hula hoop earrings and have never elevated oneself over "serial athlete dater" than that's OK.

This black media thing gets odder every year...

chaunceydevega said...

@Fred. I hope you don't steal my women. You sound like a player to me.

@40. How dare you ask black women to be self-reflective about their own denigration...and shockingly if they contribute to it or not! Bad 40.

GuruOfReason said...

While most people on here are defending the black women who are shitting on this movie, I cannot do it. I am a black man who loves white women, and I have no shame in loving them. That, however, doesn't mean that I hate or look down on black women, or that I will not consider a black woman as a partner.

Many black men could be complaining about this movie because he is married to a black woman, but I haven't seen any complaints.

George Lucas paid for this film out of his own pocket. But in the black woman blogosphere, there is an alarming number of complaints that the actors are married to white women, and that a white woman plays the sole love interest in the movie.

I find these complaints very disturbing. The reason why I find these complaints disturbing is that the complaints you see on black women's blogs (both in the articles and the comments) are pretty much exactly the same complaints that you see on white nationalist/supremacist blogs whenever those white men are confronted with images of black men with white women on the big or small screen. When you sound exactly like these hate filled monsters who have been responsible for atrocities against darker skinned peoples, then you have crossed a very dangerous line. That shows that you have adopted the same thinking that your "enemy", the same types of people who were responsible for atrocities against dark skinned people.

That shows me that these black women have adopted a racial ideology centered around extreme racial hatred and envy, and I find that very frightening. For all of the complaints and hatreds that they harbor for white people, they have adopted the very same hatred that you see whenever you visit a website devoted to white supremacy. They have taken the ideology and mindset of Stormfront and have made it their own; they have put a black face on it. And it is this that I find very shameful, sad, and scary.

Anonymous said...

@Robert Reed III:

You're kidding right? That was a long winded way to say nothing. When BM dress up in drag and proclaim to the world that these are what BW look like, and then play roles where they idolize "beautiful" WW, then that's the Stormfront mentality. You don't even get it, do you? And never will. It's people like you who are helping to spread racism against BW and always will.

GuruOfReason said...

No. Black women are doing a good job of spreading it themselves. Raging against black men actors being paired with white women (both on screen and in real life) is not helping your cause at all. In fact, it is only hurting it. It will do nothing at all to improve relations between black men and black women. It will only further damage it. If you express anger and hatred at a black men for dating or liking a white woman, the only thing you are doing is pushing him further away. It never, EVER works. That is universal law, one that has been known for thousands of years.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that the amount of interracial pairing on screen (and in real life) is always vastly overestimated and overstated by the detractors. Yeah, black couples are rare (relative to white couples), but the vast majority of black men and black women on screen are still paired with each other. IR pairings on screen are rare compared to black coupling on screen.

Whenever you do see the rare black man and white women coupling on screen (large or small), there is a huge uproar caused by both black women and white men about how the media portrays (black women or white men) them as unattractive/undesirable (which is true for black women), how there is a media/jewish conspiracy to destroy the black/white family, how black men and white women are being brainwashed to not love black women or white men, etc.

Chill out. It is not the end of the world or the black family.

Anonymous said...

@Robert Reed III:

You are an utter fool. But that's cool. I am raging at the fact that the media actually changed a BM's real life love and wife, into a WW. If you can't see theproblem with that, then you are no different than the Herman Cain type idiots I'm sure you so admire. Also, if BM want to move further away from BW for protesting our right to be seen in positive realistic roles, then so be it. Separate and go away. Most of you have done that already anyway, with 80% of BW raising kids on their own That's nothing new - bye.

But don't change our real history and experiences for your preference. Don't be OK with VH1's portrayal of BW, and then cut us out the first chance we get to be portrayed as we really are- decent, loving people in decent,loving relationships who have been a benefit to our community.

You're an idiot - and please separate from us as soon as possible. In fact, my understanding is you already have, so quit arguing with a bunch of women you hate anyway. Take your Klu Klux Klan-mentality away from BW and continue on with the women you prefer. Peace.

GuruOfReason said...

Now you are just changing the argument, and are not actually arguing any of the points that I am saying.

George Lucas should not have changed history, but come on, this is NOT what this is about at all. What this is about is the fact that you cannot stand black men with white women. Go read the blogs on the black women's websites about this movie. Only a very few of the detractors are upset that history was altered. The vast majority of the detractors are upset that the black male actors are married to white women, and that they dare show a black man with a white woman. THAT is what all of this fuss is really about.

And where the hell am I protesting the right of black women's right to protest against negative images of black women in favor of postive images? Nowhere. You are putting words in my mouth. Where the hell did VH1 even come from? You are making a strawman argument. My simple argument is that black women's disdain for Red Tails is based upon hatred of black men who like white women. That's it. Nothing that I have written supports your conclusion that I am okay with negative images of black women, period. I am not attacking your right to have positive media portrayals. I totally support seeing positive black women in the media. What I am attacking, however, is your hatred for seeing black men with white women. Just in case you are unaware, those are two totally different, totally unrelated issues.

Anonymous said...

Lucas could have really caused blog posts if he showed a erect large penis slipping into that white slut and/or even had one of the white male stateside instructors carried on an affair with a black wife of one of the black airmen. I wonder what the black women would be saying about the latter. I know personally that it did happen in real life to the black airmen.

Ya said...

@Anonymous: You really are a disgusting demon.

Anonymous said...

@ RobertReedIII

your love of white women has NOTHING to do with this, I'm not even sure why you bring it up. the bottom line is and this is fact they intentionaly chose to ignore, trivialize and white wash history by intentionally leaving out Black women when we know Black women played a crucial role in the Tuskegee aircore. They donated Blood to them because blood supplies were kept segregated, they also helped to integrate the airbase, they made their uniforms, it was bw who were the ones supplying bm with letters, packages and support that no one else would give them at the time. they did all this ON TOP of having to face discrimination and rape on their own american home front. to leave them out of history is an insult and then to white wash their place in history on top of it is appalling. This is fact that Black women have been constantly overlooked and misrepresented in history and there are entire course dedicated to this, I suggest you enroll in one.

And to add insult to injury when was the last time you saw a WW2 movie about white men were white women were ERASED as their love interests ,leading ladies...ww are always referenced as playing a significant role in White WW2 movies, but the one rare occassion where bw SHOULD have been represented along with Black men in POSITIVE way and they choose to ERASE them from history. I take offense to that and as a scion (as many blacks are) of black men who were WW2 vets I will not let the role that my grandmother and great aunts played be diminished or erased by some movie. I will speak up and defend their image period.

It's not even about the interracial relationship, its about the erasure of Black women and the misrepresentation/ white washing of history yet again. But if you choose to reduce this issue to a cat fight between ww/bw that is your right. But it wont' change the FACT that Black women are grossly misrepresented and ignored in this so called historical film.

peas said...

and p.s.

it's ridiculous to make a movie and market it to black people as a "black movie," and then the movie doesn't even contain any Black women in real roles. Why should Black women be expected to support a movie that calls itself a Black film, but has no black women and distorts Black women history on top of it? gimme a break...

40 said...

So for all of the women up in arms about the lack of a main black female character, which now discredits this film as a "black film", can we be real about it and talk about how black men have created and supported films that have not painted them in the best light but were empowering to the female actors and leads?
From "Waiting to Exhale" & "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" to more recently movies such as "Colored Girls" and "Why Did I Get Married", even “Precious” the strong black female lead, combined with a weaker or emasculated male roles has been made time and time over again. I know plenty of brothers who went out and supported these movies even knowing that they will be represented in a contemptuous light for the duration of the movie, and will only “come to their senses” when the righteous female lead or other femme character “sets them right”. What I find even more entertaining about this, is that most of these films were made by fellow black folk. Black women have had their days in the sun in film and will continue to do so. Many of these roles have been strong intelligent leads in very successful films.
So I can’t by in to the outrage that comes with this latest feeding frenzy. God forbid if they ever made a Harlem Hellfighters film or an epic piece about black fighter pilots who fought for France in WWI., because these men put in their work in Europe and took advantage of the local bounty (like any other red-blooded male) when R&R was made available. Or if a film based on the conquests of Hannibal was made, should he bring along a bevy of brown skin cuties as he goes plundering for the sake of film, even though it would be logistically irresponsible by one of the world’s greatest military minds? What’s the beef here, especially on a movie that many have not even seen. Where was this outrage for “The Help”? Which in my humble opinion, may have been empowering to some, but that empowerment was only relative to the debasing environment that the starting point was set.
War movies aren’t for everyone, if you don’t want to see it, then don’t see it. If it doesn’t interest you then that’s also understandable, the complexity of our people shows that one movie can encompass us all as an audience. However to use this self-divisive, in house argument about the lack of a black female lead is quite lame. Name the last white war film that wasn’t marketed as a romantic drama with a war backdrop that had a major white femme lead? “Saving Private Ryan”, “Apocolypse Now”, “Platoon”? This has been enlightening to hear about this angst, and entertaining to discuss, but at best its not a social outcry, more like a barbershop argument.

Anonymous said...

i could care less about the concept of "black love". i understand that there were some that may have had love affairs with foreign women. but the vast majority had WIVES AND CHILDREN! so why was their self-sacrificing support not acknowledged??! as a bw myself, i'm offended that the movie is not giving a more accurate portrayal of the tuskegee airmen AND THE FAMILIES THAT GAVE THEM SUPPORT! these men had wives and children that loved them. where are they in the movie?! let's be real. do you actually think that the troops in afghanistan or other places in the world would be able to mentally and emotionally endure the horrors of combat if it wasn't for the support of their loving FAMILY MEMBERS???! for me, it's not an issue of black love. love is love, whatever color it comes in. however, IMHO it's a slap in the face to the women that sacrificed themselves to support these airmen. that's what upsets me.

Shady_Grady said...

40, don't bother using logic. It's wasted on some people. There are some folks who simply are not interested in seeing any fim that doesn't place their particular race/gender combo at the center.

Anonymous said...

For the last time. Put any black man in the land of WHITE Women and he will do that women.Tell HIM(black man) that a black women is down the road and around the hill and he will find a way to get to her...

Anonymous said...

I don't know where you've been but there was A LOT of outrage when the Help came out for depicting all the black women as defenseless, a sexual maids in need of a white savior. Also. I never got an anti-black male vibe from How Stella Got Her Groove Back or Why Did I Get Married. In fact, the Taye Diggs' character was seen as an object of desire and liberation for Angela's character. I don't think black women are up in arms about the interracial relationship in Red Tails, I believe that they are upset that there are NO black females or black women love interests in a film where it would have made complete sense to have one. If the original scenes featuring Jazmine Sullivan and a couple other black actresses were actually included in the final film and if there were other love intrests in addition to the IR one that were black women it would have created a more realistic balance that wouldn't leave black female movie goers feeling left out. At the end of the day no one likes feeling that characters that look like them were purposely left out of a movie (in this case, the black actresses that were original featured were indeed cut out).

Jock's Trap said...

Why does the colour of a persons skin ahve to come into Love.
And while we are at it when will the black pop singers show respect for their own women in song (and on the street) instead of " Ho and B**ches"